To provide improved performance to subscribers, communication and data networks are increasingly employing optical fiber. The benefits of optical fiber are well known and include higher signal-to-noise ratios and increased bandwidth. To further improve performance, fiber optic networks are increasingly providing optical fiber connectivity all the way to end subscribers. These initiatives include various fiber-to-the-premises (FTTP), fiber-to-the-home (FTTH), and other fiber initiatives (generally described as FTTx).
In these initiatives, optical fibers are optically coupled to one another at various locations using fiber optic connectors. In some conventional configurations, opposing optical fibers are connected using fiber optic connectors having ferrules that are physically engaged with one another to optically couple the optical fibers to one another. In these configurations, force must be applied between the ferrules to maintain an appropriate optical connection at the mating ferrules. However, in conventional configurations, it may be difficult to reliably maintain the force necessary to make an appropriate optical connection between the optical fibers positioned within the opposing ferrules.
Accordingly, a need exists for optical adapter assemblies that manage the force applied between opposing ferrules optically connecting opposing optical fibers.